Children's home run by Kent County Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2795055 1 Registered provider: Kent County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home specialises in accommodating and supporting up to 10 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children aged under 16 years who are awaiting transfer under the National Transfer Scheme (NTS). At the time of this inspection, there were four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected. This is the first inspection since the home was registered in September 2024.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2795055 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children at this home arrive in the UK as unaccompanied asylum seekers. They are interviewed and assessed by Home Office staff on arrival. Children then come to this home to await a move to more permanent accommodation in England under the NTS. Staff work with great care and skill to create a safe, welcoming space for children who have often experienced significant trauma on their journey to the UK.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can stay at this home for anything from a few days to a few weeks. Due to the difficult journey that children have faced prior to arriving in the UK, staff receive limited information when children arrive at the home. The work that staff do to create a personal and individualised support experience for each child is impressive. Staff come from a range of backgrounds, some with direct experience of working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and some with extensive experience of working in registered children’s homes. The staff mix works well to create a home that meets the children’s needs and recognises their specific vulnerabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff form close working relationships with children and are successful in reducing their anxiety and fears. This allows staff to do important work, such as preparing the children for their upcoming moves, settling them in a new country and ensuring that all their basic needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with children from a wide and diverse range of cultural, religious and international backgrounds. Staff overcome communication barriers with the aid of skilled interpreters and the use of technology. Staff work patiently to understand the individual needs of each child and provide them with support that meets their identified needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s voice is heard, and their rights are championed. Staff are strong advocates for the children in their care. They form close working relationships with other professionals in social care and health to ensure that there are well-informed assessments and shared goals and plans for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children stay in comfortable and well-appointed accommodation. They have comfortable bedrooms and leisure and play activities, as well as space to engage in learning and prepare for their next move. Staff also arrange trips into the local community for children to use sports and leisure facilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the stress and anxiety children have about moving on from the home. They work hard to give children a clear understanding of the NTS. When children move on, staff create helpful records to pass to their next carers. This removes the need for children to start all over again when they move. Staff also include lots of photographic memories for children so that they can look back on the initial stages of their life in the UK. Inspection report for children's home: 2795055 3 Children say that staff are kind and supportive. They say that they are pleased with the support they receive at the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of the specific risks and vulnerabilities faced by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. They create detailed risk and safety plans for children to ensure that while they are in the care of the home their safety and well-being are of paramount importance.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are alert to potential risks of exploitation and trafficking and can recognise the warning signs to look out for. Safety protocols in the home are meticulously adhered to, to ensure that risks are effectively reduced.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have managed incidents that raised concerns very effectively. As a result, since the home opened, there have been no incidents of children going missing or incidents where children have been placed at significant risk of harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Generally, staff say children are respectful and great to work with. On the few occasions when behaviour management has been required, this has been done patiently and respectfully. At all times, staff have great empathy for the emotional impact of children’s life experiences. They seek to understand and find positive solutions to any challenges children may be facing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a clear understanding of where their safeguarding responsibilities sit within wider networks of safeguarding support. They ensure that they communicate effectively with social workers and the police. Staff have also notified Ofsted appropriately when there have been any incidents of concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an ambitious vision for the home and high expectations of her team. She leads by example to support staff to develop the skills and confidence they need to deliver care to a good standard. She has risen to the challenge of creating a home for children even though children’s stays may be brief. The registered manager has provided a strong focus on creating individual experiences for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has built a strong leadership team at the home. In turn, the team supports staff to build their confidence and skills, working in a unique and innovative environment. Leaders have a well-developed understanding of the challenges children face when coming to the UK. Leaders have used this to develop a service that works creatively to meet those needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel well supported. They trust their manager, and this is key to the success of the home. Leaders provide high-quality supervision. The organisation’s Inspection report for children's home: 2795055 4 training and development of staff are effective and tailored to ensure that staff develop the knowledge and skills they need to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has achieved a lot in a short space of time since the home was registered. However, she recognises where there are areas for continued growth and development. She is currently working to create a clear action plan to further enhance the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals who collaborate with staff at the home are impressed by the care and support they deliver for children. They compliment the professionalism and effective communication of the team. They are confident that children who stay at the home are having a high-quality experience. Professionals say they are impressed with the abilities and strengths of the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager advocates for children well and is determined that they have the best possible experience of care when they arrive in the UK. As a result, children are making positive and successful transitions to the next stage of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are no requirements or recommendations arising from this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2795055 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kent County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kent County Council, Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone ME14 1XQ

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Inspector

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2795055 6 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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